see steam pouring from her ears as she strode off. A small pang of guilt hit him. After all the bad things that had occurred to Angela in the last six months, he should be more encouraging of her happiness even if it was with Gabe. But for some reason, seeing the two of them together just irked him.
And as for her suggestion about what he needed to do…he'd tried finding Jacqueline. It just hadn't worked out.
Frustrated, Toby tossed his towel on the bar and decided to go outside, maybe take a walk down by the river. Doing so always calmed his nerves and cleared his head.
Slipping out into the night, he followed the path behind the bar that led to the water. The spring air was still nippy; a reminder that winter had just fled for another year. Toby stuffed his hands into his pockets and tried to relax.
Slowly, the scent of lavender gathered around him, soothing his weary spirit. It caressed his skin, reminding him unmistakably of Jacqueline. The soft herb had been one of her favorites and he'd often used it to help calm her when she'd been worried over her powers.
Where was it coming from now?
Toby stopped in the middle of the path. He strained to distinguish the sounds around him and identify them one by one. Everything seemed normal and no one else appeared to be around.
And yet…
He had the oddest feeling of being watched, and his heart pounded a little harder as he thought about what the smell might mean. After searching for months for Jacqueline with no success, Gabe had suggested she might eventually come to check up on Toby, but if she did so, it would probably be under the veil of invisibility.
Gabe's suggestion was to create a magical charm that would go off if Jacqueline was near.
"Think of it as a banshee alarm system," he'd joked before taking a small piece of Jacqueline's clothing and casting a spell on it. "Put this in your pocket, and if you start smelling lavender, you'll know she's around. Since lavender is a scent you associate with her, it should be a great tell."
But Toby had never thought it might work.
Yet, here it was--the strong scent of lavender.
"Jacqueline?" he whispered.
Only silence answered.
"Are you there?" He looked around, trying to separate the shadows. "I've…I've missed you."
Toby could have sworn he heard the tiniest of sighs. Carefully, he turned his head to the right, hoping the darkness would reveal more than just shadows. The trees swayed their delicate branches which were just beginning to show signs of green, but there was nothing human there.
Desperate, Toby lifted a hand and threw out an illumination spell.
"Reveal."
There. A tiny shimmer of something in front of him.
"Babe, if you're here, I really need to talk to you," Toby said. "I know you think I betrayed you, but I swear it was just a misunderstanding. Death played us both for fools."
Was that a hand on his head? Fingers rustling through his hair? He closed his eyes, savoring the small touch.
"I will always love you. Please show yourself to me. Let's work this out."
But no one appeared and the scent of lavender grew faint. Maybe he'd imagined it all along.
Toby continued down the path to the water. As he drew closer, he could make out something lying on the ground. Curious, he quickened his pace.
"Damn," he swore when he realized what the shape was. A body. And it belonged to someone he knew. "Foster, what the hell did you get yourself into?"
Dropping to his knees, Toby examined the body. Someone or something had done a real number on the wizard. With a shake of his head, he said the words to a regression spell. The world whirled around him as it rewound to the moment in time when Foster had been killed.
Silently, in horror, Toby watched the gruesomeness of the wizard's death.
When it was over, he released the regression spell and heart sick, stumbled over to the river. He splashed water on his face, wishing it could erase everything he'd just seen. But it was too late. Time to face the truth.
His Jacqueline, the one he'd fallen for, was gone.
In its place was a horrible creature that he barely recognized.
As Toby contemplated this new revelation, a small circular light appeared in the sky above him. He stared at it, wondering what it could be. A UFO? A shooting star? With careful precision, the ball of light descended. It hovered above the water for